Quantifying the Response of an Estuarine Nekton Community to Coastal Wetland Habitat Restoration

Abstract

Globally coastal habitats are experiencing degradation and threatening the production of critical ecosystem services such as shoreline stabilization, water filtration, and nursery grounds for marine fauna. To combat the loss of these ecosystem services, resource managers are actively restoring coastal habitats. This study compares samples collected from non-restored sites, sites restored in 2011, and sites that underwent restoration in 2019. Restoration sites are impacted wetlands with high elevation mounds that were leveled to increase the areal extent of intertidal habitats, enabling the recruitment of intertidal flora and fauna. Fyke nets were used to sample nekton within the upper intertidal zone. To quantify restoration success, nekton abundance, biomass, diversity, and indicator species were quantified. Sites restored in 2011 had a greater abundance compared to non-restored sites. Common snook, clown gobies, silversides, juvenile mullet, and Gulf killifishes were indicator species at successfully restored sites, while salinity, site type, and Secchi depth played important roles in predicting abundance and diversity. These findings are consistent with recent studies suggesting it can take years to see quantifiable differences in nekton communities following habitat restoration. Additionally, this work provides new insight regarding the benefits of restoring coastal wetland elevation to maximize intertidal habitat, thereby positively impacting nekton communities.